Kitty P. Smith Award
2024 Award Recipient: Ann Mudge Backer
Backer, of Smitten Farm in The Plains, has worn many hats throughout her life: ardent conservationist, lawyer, as well as renowned breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
After graduating from New York Law School, Ann worked as a public defender at Legal Aid in Manhattan. As president of the William M. Backer Foundation, she has directed resources from the foundation to Citizens for Fauquier County, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy, Goose Creek Association, the Clifton Institute, the Orange County Hunt Conservation Foundation, and other area conservation groups.
In 2023, Backer received the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Breeder of the Year Award for Giganti, bred in Fauquier County. Giganti was sold as a yearling at the 2021 Keenland September sale and went on to win the Secretariat Stakes at Colonial Downs and three other prestigious races. He was the 2023 Virginia Bred Horse of the Year. Also in 2023, Backer received the Virginia Thoroughbred Co-Breeder of the Year award with Berryville’s Audley Farm.
“Ann has dedicated most of her life to the preservation of Fauquier’s landscape and legacy through her work and the generosity of the William M. Backer Foundation named for her husband,” said Citizens for Fauquier County President Kevin Ramundo. “She has the respect and admiration of so many who have joined her over the years in preserving this special place where we are blessed to live.”
About the Kitty P. Smith Award
The Kitty P. Smith Award was established by Citizens for Fauquier County to honor outstanding conservationists who have contributed greatly to preserving the county’s rural landscape, historical resources and agricultural economy.
For more than 20 years, Dr. Smith, a long-term Fauquier resident, set the standard for advocating wise land conservation. She served as a board member of CFFC and Goose Creek Association, staff member of the Piedmont Environmental Council and was a hands-on participant with numerous civic organizations. Her influence was also felt on the Fauquier County Agricultural and Forestal District Committee and Capital Improvements Committee.
Awardees
2015 — Kitty Smith
2016 — George Thompson
2017 — Jocelyn Sladen
2018 — Georgia Herbert
2019 — Hope Porter and Bob Lee
2021 — Ken Smith
2022 — John Schied
2023 — Harry Atherton